Gangs in area schools

[Anonymous]

"The Joint County Gang Prevention Task Force report said Montgomery officials estimate there are 20 to 22 gangs operating in the county, with 540 to 560 active members. Gangs in Montgomery County are concentrated in Takoma Park, Wheaton, Rockville and Gaithersburg."


While it may be true that this is where gangs are concentrated, we all need to realize that these are not the only places where gangs are found. Just a few years back, there was gang activity reported at Springbrook High, which is located in the NE Consortium in upper Silver Spring. Kids feed into that school from as far out as Cloverly.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the lacrosse team?

[Anonymous]

Langley has several

[Anonymous]

"I have list of name- there are 205 Communists in the State Department!"

[Anonymous]

If you're referring to the 2005 attack, the students involved in the stabbing were not Springbrook students. Furthermore, it was summer school, which draws from the entire Eastern part of hte county.

There are signs of gang activity in every school in the county. Just ask any police district in our county. Please don't single out one school, and do your research before you make a statement.

Anonymous wrote:"The Joint County Gang Prevention Task Force report said Montgomery officials estimate there are 20 to 22 gangs operating in the county, with 540 to 560 active members. Gangs in Montgomery County are concentrated in Takoma Park, Wheaton, Rockville and Gaithersburg."


While it may be true that this is where gangs are concentrated, we all need to realize that these are not the only places where gangs are found. Just a few years back, there was gang activity reported at Springbrook High, which is located in the NE Consortium in upper Silver Spring. Kids feed into that school from as far out as Cloverly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Langley has several

Lacrosse teams?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley has several

Lacrosse teams?

I think she meant communists.

All the communists go to school at Blair. Red is even the school's color.

[Anonymous]

The OP is asking about school districts to move to. Nobody is singling out 1 school there are multiple schools districts and multiple neighborhoods with high crime issues. The specific crime asked about was gang related crime.

The areas with high incidents of gang crime are Takoma Park, Wheaton, Rockville and Gaithersburg. (Not sure why Germantown and Silver Spring are not mentioned.)

The OP asked what school district to move to - I would advise BCC, WJ and Churchill. I would not take this post so personally.

[Anonymous]

Ahem, one poster was singling out Blair.

It's also important for OP to understand that gang activity has minimal affect on kids who aren't in gangs. Even if your kid is in PE with a gang member, your kid probably won't even know who the gang member is. If your kid is in honors, AP or magnet classes, your kid is likely to have almost no contact with gang members.

Therefore, if OP's kid gets into one of the Blair magnets (science or CAP), it would be a shame to give up this chance because of an unfounded fear of shootings in the hallways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would stick with BCC, WJ or Churchill - or go private.

No Wootton, Richard Montgomery, or Rockville?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would stick with BCC, WJ or Churchill - or go private.

No Wootton, Richard Montgomery, or Rockville?

Or Whitman? LOL

[Anonymous]

and Springbrook

Anonymous wrote:Ahem, one poster was singling out Blair.

It's also important for OP to understand that gang activity has minimal affect on kids who aren't in gangs. Even if your kid is in PE with a gang member, your kid probably won't even know who the gang member is. If your kid is in honors, AP or magnet classes, your kid is likely to have almost no contact with gang members.

Therefore, if OP's kid gets into one of the Blair magnets (science or CAP), it would be a shame to give up this chance because of an unfounded fear of shootings in the hallways.

[Anonymous]

Really, gang activity doesn't affect other students? Hmmm...what if you went to drop off your 9th grader at a bday party at their AP/GT English classmate's place and their older sibling opened the door covered in gang tatts? Change sibling to parent. Would you be comfortable with that? What if your gang member PE student sells drugs in the locker room? What if your gang member PE student stashes their drugs in your kid's locker without your kid's knowledge? What if they stash and tell your kid, "you don't mind, right?" And your kid does mind and says so and then gets the crap beat out of them. Or knows about the last kid who minded and got the crap beat out of them and so shrugs their shoulders.

Gang kids are EASY to pick out. Wake up, people.

[Anonymous]

Gangs are a problem but as many posters have pointed out they tend to recruit within their own socio-economic group. Really has anyone thought about what are the more likely things to get your high schooler killed? A well off parent with an open liquor cabinet away on vacation? Too many kids in a vehicle showing off to each other? Or maybe DD drunk at a party accosted by a classmate who is just as drunk. Wakeup people danger is a lot closer to home in your own medicine and liquor cabinets. That is what needs to be addressed not is there a few smarmy kids from a crappy socio-economic situation that will mutually work to ruin their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most middle and high schools in this area have gang members in them. However, that doesn't mean they are dangerous or unsafe. In Fairfax Co where I teach, every high school and I think middle school, too, has a police officer in the school. He/she is usually very aware of who is a gang member and what is going on with them. I, too, have had gang members in my classes and I have never felt like they were going to hurt me. It is not just the "bad" schools that have gang members. Most gang-members join because they are looking for a place to fit in. They often don't see their family because they are working all hours or they are here from another country and are looking for people like them. Unfortunately, the gangs often recruit people who are lost or lonely and once they get in and maybe realize it is not the best place, it is too late to get out. It is just a sad fact of life when you are in a metropolitan area that there are going to be gang members in the schools.

How reassuring to have one police officer available in a high school of how many students?!